Roller paint bucket



Feb. 10, 1970 FIE. -3

J. 0. TIDWELL RQLLER PAINT BUCKET Filed Oct. 23, 1967 JAMES 0. TIDWELL.

INVENTOR.

JWWMJWMJ A TTORNEYS United States Patent 3,493,988 ROLLER PAINT BUCKET James 0. Tidwell, Mountain View, Calif., assiguor to E. I. Research, Inc., Los Altos, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 677,459 Int. Cl. B44d 3/12, 3/28 US. Cl. 15-257.06 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A paint bucket having a generally V-shaped bottom panel and rectangular sidewalls that have lower edges in coplanar alignment with the apex of the V so that the bottom container is stable on a horizontal surface. The apex of V-shaped panel is arcuate so as to permit complete pick up of paint in the container by a roller.

This invention relates to a bucket or container for storing paint during application of the paint by a roller; the bucket is adapted for rapid and eflicient loading of the roller.

Containers for effecting loading of a paint roller with paint typically take one of two forms: (1) a relatively shallow or flat tray and (2) a cylindric five-gallon bucket. The former has many disadvantages, among which are a small paint capacity and, due to shallowness, a high center of gravity that renders diflicult the transportation of the tray while filled with paint. The latter container avoids the above disadvantages, but is wasteful of paint in that the cylindric bucket cannot be thoroughly cleaned out with a roller.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a roller paint bucket that avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages while affording the user the typical advantages of roller painting. In order to achieve this object the present invention provides a container that is sufliciently deep to retain at least one gallon of paint and that has sloping sidewalls so that regulation of paint on a roller by rolling the roller over the sidewall can be accomplished with facility.

Another object is to provide a paint container that is extremely stable on a horizontal surface. This object is achieved by providing three wall panel members On the container that have edges that are coplanarly disposed so as to rest upon a floor or like surface.

A feature and advantage of a paint container having three supporting edges is that the remainder of the container can be made of thinner material, so that the overall container is lighter and less expensive. For example, containers according to the invention can be readily and inexpensively made from thermosetting or thermoplastic polymer resins.

These and other objects, features and advantages will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a roller paint bucket according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation view of the paint bucket; and

FIGURE 3 is a side cross-section elevation view of the bucket.

Referring more particularly to the drawing reference numeral 12 indicates one rectangular sidewall of the container which confronts a congruent sidewall 14 in parallel relation. The sidewalls have coplanar lower base edges 15. Spanning the space between sidewalls 12 and 14 is a V- shaped panel 16 that has a front wall section 18, a rear wall section 20, and an arcuate section 22 that extends between sections 18 and 20 and is continuous with and ICC tangent with such sections. At the lower extremity of section 22, exterior of the structure, the panel is tangent, as at 24, to the lower base edges 15 of the side panels. Thus, the lower extremity 24 of the V-shaped panel lies in the same plane as is defined by lower base edges 15 of side panels 12 and 14. The radius of curvature of arcuate section 22 exceeds that of paint roller R.

Medially of and preferably midway between side panels 12 and 14 are mutually coplanar front and rear support flanges 26 and 28, respectively. The flanges are so shaped that their combined outlinear form is identical to the front, rear, and lower base edges of the sidewalls 12 and 14. The flanges have a bottom base edge 30 that is coplanar with the base edges 15 of sidewalls 12 and 14, so that the entire structure is firmly supported upon a fiat horizontal surface such as a floor. Moreover, the load from the weight of the paint is supported in a direction parallel to the flanges 26 and 28, the direction of their greatest strength. Accordingly, the V-shaped panel 16 can be made of relatively thin material.

The bucket of the present invention is completed by a handle 32 that is of conventional form and is shaped to fold out of the way below the upper edges of the container, as seen most clearly in FIGURE 1. A grid 34 formed of mesh or expanded metal of conventional form is hooked over the upper lip of either the front or rear walls, thus, to expedite removal of excess paint from the roller, indicated in phantom at R in FIGURE 1.

In use, the container of the present invention should be filled approximately to a level about one-third of the way from the bottom. In one container designed according to the present invention wherein the distance between the lower portion of wall sections 18 and 20 is about five inches, wherein the distance between the upper extremities of the wall sections is twelve inches, and wherein the height of the structure is eleven inches, the container can readily hold a gallon of paint and the surface of such quantity of paint will be approximately one-third of the distance from lower edge 15. With the paint at such level it will be seen that roller R can be completely immersed in the paint if desired or merely depressed into the surface of the paint. Because of the presence of screen 34, even distribution of the paint on roller R is readily achieved. Because the base of the container is relatively broad, the center of gravity of the container, even when filled with paint, is relatively low.

The container of the present invention is virtually spillproof so long as it resides on a flat surface, such as a floor or a shelf on a stepladder. Moreover, the provision of flanges 26 and 28 between sidewalls 12 and 14 imparts rigidity to V-shaped panel 16 without requiring that the panel be constructed of extremely rigid, high-strength material. The arcuate section 22 permits virtually all paint in the container to be picked up on roller R. Because the arcuate section is tangent with wall sections 18 and 20, the container is easily cleaned after use.

Thus, it will be seen that the present invention provides a roller paint bucket that is convenient to use and clean and that is sturdy even though constructed of relatively light weight material.

What is claimed is:

1. A paint container for loading a paint roller comprising a pair of upstanding confronting generally rectangular sidewalls having parallel bottom base edges, said sidewalls being parallelly spaced from one another by an amount somewhat in excess of the length of a paint roller, a generally V-shaped panel spanning said sidewalls to form the bottom and end walls of said container, said panel having an arcuate portion at the apex of the V-shape, said arcuate section being tangent to the bottom base edge of said side panels so that the lowermost part of the exterior surface of said arcuate portion is coplanar with the bottom base edges of said sidewalls, and means medially of said sidewalls for supporting said panel, said supporting means having a pair of mutually coplanar flanges that extend from opposite sides of said panel, said flanges having lower edges coplanar with the base edges of said sidewalls.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said container is formed of polymer resinous material in an integral unitary molded assembly.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arcuate por tion of said panel has a radius of curvature in excess of the radius of a paint roller.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,763,880 9/1956 Mulcahy 15257.06 3,333,282 8/1967 Mustee 68-232X FOREIGN PATENTS 67,717 10/1957 France.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner L. o. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 68233 220-70 

